October 16, 2024
CMAOntario Artist of the Month: James Downham Contributing Writer: Matt Ersnaught For a guy named Downham, there’s a lot of “Up” in his life lately. James has not one… not two… but three Ontario hometowns: Pembroke, Picton and now, Stratford. James was the winner of Season 2 of The Shot – a web-based talent search show – and was selected from thousands of applicants as one of only 14 artists to participate in The Shot: Canada vs. USA. James also spent over a decade performing in a Tim McGraw tribute act before turning his attention back to original music. In April of 2023, Downham released his “The Long Way Home” album, from which the singles “One Mile at a Time”, “Raised On”, “Wine & Whiskey” […]
October 16, 2024
CMAOntario Artist of the Month: James Downham Contributing Writer: Matt Ersnaught For a guy named Downham, there’s a lot of “Up” in his life lately. James has not one… not two… but three Ontario hometowns: Pembroke, Picton and now, Stratford. James was the winner of Season 2 of The Shot – a web-based talent search show – and was selected from thousands of applicants as one of only 14 artists to participate in The Shot: Canada vs. USA. James also spent over a decade performing in a Tim McGraw tribute act before turning his attention back to original music. In April of 2023, Downham released his “The Long Way Home” album, from which the singles “One Mile at a Time”, “Raised On”, “Wine & Whiskey” […]
August 26, 2024
CMAOntario Artist of the Month: Andy Colonico Andy Colonico hails from Welland, Ontario, and has spent his life surrounded by music. Growing up in a musically-inclined family, his father was a music teacher, and his mother a professional singer and actress. Music was a constant presence in his life, with his parents’ extensive record collection sparking his early interest in southern rock and country music, especially The Beatles, The Eagles and Van Morrison. He fondly recalls selling his mother’s CDs at her shows and hearing fans rave about her talent. In school, Andy was a social butterfly – he became known as “the drummer boy”. ”No one else was really playing drums so it kind of became my identity.” It wasn’t until the eleventh […]
July 19, 2024
CMAOntario Artist of the Month: Griffin Palmer Griffen Palmer’s career journey is one unlike many. The Peterborough native grew up in a large musical family. His father- who is also a musician – encouraged Griffen to explore his musical talents and take up piano, drums and guitar. At 12, he was gifted a guitar and a pair of tickets to see Van Halen in concert. During his teenage years, he played in garage bands and began songwriting. Not only is Palmer a talented musician, but he is also a rugby player, and accepted a scholarship to Bowling Green State University in Ohio. From there, he embarked on what many young aspiring artists do… door knocking! He went out looking for opportunities to perform, in […]
May 13, 2024
Artiste du mois : Les Bilinguish Boys | Artist of the Month : Les Bilinguish Boys Formé quelque part entre Azilda et Chelmsford, dans la banlieue du Grand Sudbury, Les Bilinguish Boys sont bien plus qu’un simple groupe de musique. Stef Paquette, Dayv Poulin et Édouard Landry créent un spectacle sur mesure – on the spot – qui combine voix, guitares et improvisation pour offrir une expérience inédite à leur public. Issu d’une tradition débutée au Lavigne Tavern dans le Nipissing, le trio s’est rapidement transformé en une attraction annuelle incontournable. Leur nom, une blague inspirée d’une soirée où un anglophone les a qualifiés de “bilinguish” plutôt que bilingue, reflète bien l’esprit léger et inclusif de leur performance. Leur style acoustique simple et sans […]
April 10, 2024
Olivia Mae Graham discovered her love for music at the tender age of eleven when she first picked up a guitar. Her favourite childhood memories are of her parents shuffling her to and from music lessons, supporting her passion. Olivia continued to pursue this love for music through education at the Harris Institute for the Arts, where she graduated Valedictorian, with an Honours Music Business Professional Certification. She then obtained her Master of Songwriting in Scotland. At the core of her artistry is a desire to uplift and empower others through the positive messages woven into her heartfelt lyrics. From songs like “Pretty Different” and “Mean Girls”, to “Red Rose” and her latest single “I Can’t Move”, Olivia uses the lessons she’s encountered to […]
March 6, 2024
It was a full house of celebration and new music last month as The Western Swing Authority hosted a release party for their brand-new album “12 to 6 Central” at the Registry Theatre in their hometown of Kitchener. Despite it being their fifth full length album, it was the first time they performed on an actual release date. It was a special day, as they were supported by many fans, friends and family. The seven-piece band is comprised of some of Canada’s most sought-after musicians, who have been performing together for 15 years. Featuring Shane Guse as fiddler, vocalist and frontman, his wife, Stacey Lee Guse (vocals and former member of JUNO and CCMA nominated group LACE), Ed Ringwald (steel guitar), Dan Howlett (fiddle, banjo), […]
February 2, 2024
CMAOntario Artist of the Month: Amanda Keeles London, Ontario’s Amanda Keeles new album release and tour is counting down for the launch pad in February 2024. Considering that Amanda is a two-time winner of The Canadian Open Singing/Songwriting Contest, her debut single, “Blame it on the Moonlight” (released January 30, 2023), peaked in the top 10 at #6 on the Canadian Country Indie Top 100 Chart and “My Heart Feels The Same Way Too” has accumulated over 73K streams since its release in May of 2023, her forthcoming album, titled “Can’t Stop Me Now”, sure sounds like a “Just try it” challenge! Growing up in a family of musicians, country music was part of the diet in her home, which prepared her for performing […]
January 11, 2024
En tant qu’artiste franco-ontarien originaire de Smooth Rock Falls, et maintenant établi à Cochrane, Mitch Jean fait de la musique avec de fortes racines. Depuis qu’il a pris la guitare pour la première fois à l’âge de douze ans, il a exploré de nombreux styles musicaux différents, mais a trouvé son son entre le country moderne et le rock. S’inspirant des légendes de la guitare des années 80 comme Def Leppard et du style d’écriture de chansons d’artistes country comme Eric Church, Mitch Jean s’est taillé une dimension musicale qui lui est propre. Que ce soit en solo ou full band, en français ou en anglais, l’artiste dynamique capte l’attention de son public grâce à son énergie débordante, faisant de chaque spectacle une expérience […]
December 6, 2023
Labeled with her larger than life and vivacious personality, Dolly Parton-sized beauty, and angelic voice, singer/songwriter Callie McCullough is sure to grab your attention. Born 3rd generation into a musical family, her contemporary and alternative music style has made an impact in Country Music. It is a combo of traditional country, Celtic, folk and bluegrass. Her grassy textured sound is what we can expect in her forthcoming collection of new music. Callie explains, “I’m very much just organically letting the songs become what they want to become.” Having just come out of a long term relationship, and reflecting on the direction of her life, she thought her next few years might look really different. With confidence and sass came her latest single “What If I […]
September 11, 2023
Cadence Grace, Ann Chaplin and Stacey Zegers have been a powerhouse trio in the form of Runaway Angel for a decade. Their unwavering friendship forms the bedrock of Runaway Angel, and it’s through this genuine bond that their passion for music shines brightest. Over the years, Runaway Angel has garnered a loyal fan following and industry recognition, making them CCMA Discovery Artist Nominees and 7-Time CMAOntario Award nominees. Their albums, “No End In Sight” and “Zero” made significant impacts, debuting at #5 and #3 on the iTunes Canadian Country Charts. Their music, including the hit single “Witness”, has reached over 150,000 Spotify streams and graced the Top 50 on Canadian country radio. The trio have taken the stage among the likes of Dierks Bentley, Dallas […]
August 11, 2023
It’s hard to talk about Brian John Harwood without mention of the word: “collaboration.” They say: “It takes a village…”; and the list of names he’s worked with makes him an automatic Team Player candidate. Born and raised in Innisfil, Ontario, BJH first got widespread attention as a core member of Kansas Stone, partnering with Matt Davey. The band’s single, “Blaze of Nothing,” was nominated for the Music Video of the Year at the 2019 CMAOntario Awards. The band also made a big dent in the scene with “Together We’re Strong”, written by Brian and producer Dustin Bird. The single features – get this – 17 Canadian artists, among them: Aaron Pritchett, Alee and Jason Blaine. That’s a lot of herding. Brian stepped up to […]
July 14, 2023
At the young age of 9, Augusta Ray first began her musical journey singing opera. She was quickly recognized as a child prodigy, wowing her audiences as she performed in three languages. Growing up a fan of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Shania Twain, Augusta formed the sound of her unique country-rock style from unique influences. Known to friends and fans as “Gus”, Augusta Ray grew up in Toronto, and has been travelling between there and Nashville for the past 9 years, performing to Canadian and American country-rock fans. Some career highlights for Ray include sharing the stage with Trace Atkins, Brett Kissel, Tim Hicks, Jess Moskaluke and several others. Gus recently released a new single: “Your Ex”. In a press release, she explains – […]